Automatic railroad-switch.



.- J. W. RICE.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLI OATIO'N FILED MAY 28, 1910.

Patented Mar. 7, 1911 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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ATTORNEYS J. w. RICE. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1910.

Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

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ATTORNEYS 20 diately the switch has- 1 F UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE To all whom it may concern: Be it known th t I, J AMES W. RICE, a citizen of the United-States, and a vresident of Fort Smith, in the county of Sebastian and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and Im roved Automatic Railroad-Switch, of whiohthe following is a full, clear, and exa'ct description.

The invention is an improvementin automatic switches, more especially for street railways, and has in View asimple and ef fective, mechanism for cfiecting the reverse movement of the switch, which mechanism is operable to alternately throw the switch in opposite directions b a like working of the switch bar or rod, t is bar being in the -nature fof a pull her, whereby it can be made relatively small with safety.

The invention further resides in means for automatically lockin the switch immefieen fully thrown,

and in the provision 0t oil-tight casings for containing the working mechanism, which keeps the partswell, lubricated and prevents the switch from freezin in cold weather.

Reference is to be ha to the accompanyi'ngdrawings forming a part of. this specificatiomin which similar characters of referen'ce indicate corresponding. parts. in all the views. v V

Figure 1 1s,a plan of an automatic switch I constructed in accordance with my invention, the top. of the switch case being removed and the trigger case partly in horirental-section; Fig; 2 'is a view similar to F i. '1, wi th the trigger and trigger case om tted and showing the switch in the re- .verfseposition, with the parts of the operating mechanism. as they stand immediately after. the switch is thrown; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with the switch locked and the parts in their normal position for this position of the switch; Fig. 4 is a side view of the jswitcli' operating mechanism partly in central longitudinal section; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, artly in-section,

illustrating the switch tripping appliance carried by the car; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary -f ront view of the said appliance; and Fig. 7 is a iragmenta sectional view, showing the trippingapp iane in the position as it leaves the trigger.

' In he construction of .niy improved switch, I preferablyarrange the greater portion of the workin'g'mcchanism in a switch case 10, and a triggercase 11, the two cases adapted,

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Patented Mar. 7, 1911.

being connected by a pipe- 12 of a suitable length and through which is slidable a pull or operating bar 13. Each case 10 and 11 is made oil-tight, and the. switch case 10 is provided with a removable cover 14, and the trigger case 11 provided with a removable cover-15, the latter being provided with aslot through which the operating arm of atriggerlG projects, this trigger, as best shown in Figs. 4: and 7, being in the nature of a bell-crank lever having an engaging notch 17 in its outer-extremity, the inner arm of the lever being opcratively connected-to the adj acent end of the pull bar 13, as by'the link 18. The notch 17 in the trigger is retained above the top of the trigger case by a spring 16* fastened to the cover, on which the trigger when in its normal position is adapted to rest. The switch case 10 is shown to be made relatively wider at an intermediate point to receive a switch actuating bar 19, which is sli'dably retained at the bottom of the case and extends through one side thereof and is operatively connected to the movable point of the switch.

Thatportion of the switch actuating bar within the case has a guide slot 21 extending along its length. through which passes a guide roller or pin secured centrally of the switch case. At the upper face of the switch actuating bar near each end of the slot 21, operating rollers or pins 23 are provided. A locking lug 2.4 extends from the forward edge of the switch actuating bar, and at the rear edge of this bar a notch 25 is formed, into which projects the free end of a setting lever 26, the lever notch 27. The pull bar 13 extends substantially the full leii th of the case 10, and is slidably snpporte in-one or more crossbolts 28, arranged in the upper portion of the case, and carries at its under side a shifting lever 29, the shiftiiiglcver being fulcriimed-on the pull bar to oscillate, and

.havinma tapered or wedged end 30 back 12 its fiilizruin, arranged to engage within the setting notch 0f the setting lever, and provided with a wedged or arrow head 31,

through the trigger 16, to enter between the relatively stationary guide roller 22, which when the pull bar is actuated' to normal position, to ether with the shift switch -actuating bar 19 in 'a 'directionto' throw the switch. The pull bar is returned ing lever and trigger, by a spring 32,,which is shown to be arranged thereon in the case 10. The pull bar is provided with a depending. locking bolt or lug 33, which is located ,to engage at one side of the locking lug 24 when the pull bar is returned to-norma'l' position, and lock the switch against movement. To assist the setting lever in posi- -tioning the shifting lever for the next operation of the switch, as the shifting levr is returned to normal position, stop 'pins .34.-

are placed at: each side of the head of the shifting lever and limit the oscillatory movements thereof, aswelhas assist in di recting the lever to the proper side of the abutment presented by the guide I pin or roller .22. v

F or operating the switch, the car is provided with a tripping appliance which is adapted to be moved into and out of operativ'e position,- and-comprises a tripping loop 35, supported to swing'at the under side of the. car, ordinarily beneath the platform,

and is connected to an operating lever- 36,

by a link 37, the tripping loop" and connected lever being normally'returned-to an elevated and removed position by a spring 38;

In the operation of the switch, the motorman just before the car reaches the-trig-' ger 16, depresses the lever 36, which lowers the tripping 100 .35 into the path of the trigger. As the cop reaches thetri ger it engages within the notch 17 and" p ls the trigger over against the action of'the spring 32, until the head 31 of the shifting bar 29 has been forced between the roller 22 and adjacent roller '23, to fully throwthe switch at which time the tripping loop escapes and the spring 32 returns the pull rod and coni directs the head of the shifting lever toa.

nected parts to normal positiomlocking the actuating bar. The notch 27 in the setting lever 26, together. withthe stop pins 34,

position in which it will pass between the .roller'22 and the opposite roller 23 of the claim as new and desire to secure by-Let- I switch actuatin lever upon the next operationof the pull bar.

the car passes onto the switch point.

Having thus described my invention, I

ters Patent: v

1. In a railroad switch, a switch-actuating bar havingshoulders, an operating bar slidably supported at approximately rightangles to t e switch-actuating bar, and a shifting lever fulorumed to the operating bar to I ing laterally, and having a,wed e head arranged to engage with the said h guide ml The trigger case is placed sufficiently far from the, switch to allow the motorman to conveniently see that .the switch has' been properly'thrown bbfore shoulders .in alternate order upon the forward movements of the operatmgbar, and movefthe' switch-actuating bar in. opposite directions.

2. In arailroad switch,a switch actuating bar, a setting lever operatively engaged with the switch actuatin bar, an op'eratmg-ba'r,

and an oscillatory s ifting lever operatively arranged with respect' 'fto' the'setting'lever and located to engage the switch-actuating bar and alternately force it in opposite di-- rections under the action of the pull bar.

3. In a railroad switch,'a switch' actuating bar, an abutment, projections carried by the switch actuating ar'at each side of the abutment, an operatin bar, an-oscillatory shifting levercarried' y the operating bar, having a wedge-shaped head,"and a setting .device arranged to direct the head oi the shifting Teve'r between I the abutment and the ad acent-projection of the actuating lever, operativelyfl connected to the switch-actuating'bar and having a limited movementindependent thereof.

In a railroad switch, aswitch actuata guide slot, a fixed guide ing barha'vin hrough V the slot, projections pin passing t carried by the actuating lever at each side of the pin, an operating bar, an oscillatory shifting lever carried the bar, having a lever between the gui e pin and lever. V I

5. In a railroad switch, a switch actuating bar, an operatingbar, an abutment, an

oscillatory shlftinglever carried by the opcrating bar, and .a setting lever arranged to alternately direct the sluftin bar into engagement with the actuating-diam at the o posite sides of'the abutment fulcrumed a acent to one end and operatively."en'gaged at the other endwith. the actuatmgbar.

6, In a railroad-switch, a switch actuating bar, an operatin bar slidablef at ap roximately ri ht-ang e'sto'the actuating ar, a

er for the switch actuating bar, an oscillatory shifting lever carried b the operating bar and having; a wedge head, and a setting lever operatively en the actuating bar and 'arranged "ged with" to alternately directth'epoint of the shifting-lever into engagement withthe switch actuating bar at the opposite sides of the guide roller.

'7. -In' a railroad switch, a'switch actuating bar, a guide roller,- rollers carried by'the switch actuating bar at each side ofthe guide roller, an operating bar, an oscilla tory shifting lever carried by the operating bar, having tapering end portions, and "a.

setting lever operatively engaged withthe'. actuating bar and having'a notch arrangedto engage one of the wedge ends of the adj'acent roller of the switch actuating bar.

' shifting bar from the switch-actuating bar,

8, In a railroad switch, a switch actuating bar, an operating bar, a shifting bar for the switch actuatingbar, carried by the 0perating bar, and a locking bolt carried by the operating bar, arranged to engage with the-switch actuating bar after each operation of the switch.

9. In a railroad switch, an operating bar, a switch actuating bar, a shifting lever carried by the operating bar and arranged to engage with the actuating bar and alternately move it in opposite directions, and a locking bolt arranged toengage with the actuating bar and' lock the latter against movement upon the return movement of the shifting lever. i

10. In a railroad switch, a switch-actuating bar, an operating bar, a shifting bar for the switch-actuating bar, fulcrumed to the operating bar, means normallyretracting the ,fixed relatively to the .case an and a locking bolt carried by the operating bar and forced into engagement with the switch-actuating bar by the said means.

-. 11. Ina railroad switch, a case,-a switchactuating bar slidable in the case and hav-'- ing a slot extending along its len h, a pin passing through the said slot, pins arranged at each side of the first-mentioned pin and carried by the switch-actuating bar, an operating bar, a shifting lever fulcrumed to the'opcrating bar, and a setting lever to' direct the shifting lever between the first-mentioned pin and each of the last mentioned pins in alternate order, operatively engaged by the switch-actuating bar.

In testimony whereof 'I have signed my. name to this specification in the presence of Y two subscribing witnesses.

' JAMES RICE.

, Witnesses:

J. D. LIGHTER, GEO. T. WILLIAMS. 

